The school counselor told us to smile at the student who is often rude and causing mischief in the school. He had notified the teachers that this helps the student behave a little bit better. The way we greet the student actually affects the rest of his day so instead of starting with, “Hey you! Stop doing that!” we should start with a smile and, “Hey! Lovely to see you! How are you doing today?”

Once put into practice, I witnessed first-hand what a big difference a smile could do. There are many people who don’t make enough of an earning to give money to charity during Ramadan. It is here that these people’s smiles become of utmost importance.

In a hadith in Sahih Muslim, it is narrated by Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (‎ﷺ) said, “There is no person who does not have the obligation of (doing) charity every day that the sun rises.”

Then, he (ﷺ) was asked, “O’ Messenger of Allah, from where would we get something to give in charity (so often)?”

The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “Indeed the gates to goodness are many: glorifying God, praising Him, magnifying Him, saying ‘There is no god but Allah,’ enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong, removing (any source of) harm from the road, making the deaf hear (and understand), guiding the blind, showing the seeker his need, striving as far as your two legs could carry you and with deep concern to give succour to him who asks, carrying with the strength of your arms (the burdens of) the weak. All these are (acts of) charity. And your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, your removing of stones, thorns, and bones from people’s paths is charity, and your guiding a man gone astray in the world is charity for you.”

As narrated, there are a number of ways one can give charity that does not require any amount of money, but is still considered a form of charity worthy of Allah’s rewards. There is everything from as simple as praising Allah to guiding someone who is blind, to clearing the pathway for someone. Here are some examples of how one can put what was narrated into practice:

1.Glorifying Allah which we do when we pray salah for example.

2.Removing harm from a road as in picking up trash from the ground and tossing it into the bin.

3.Pointing out wrongdoing for example when a teenager kicks the door to a classroom, one tells him/her, “There is a lesson happening, that is rude and disrespectful.”

4.Making the deaf understand or guiding the blind in the right direction; this could also mean helping anyone with a physical, a psychological and/or a learning disability.

5.Seeing someone sitting alone at the lunch table, but you decide to join them to keep them company.

6.Noticing a person is sad and you decide to ask them if they need someone to talk to.

7.Smiling at anyone and everyone because you never know if that will make their day.

There are other hadiths mentioning how the Prophet (ﷺ)smiled so much and often. According to the narration of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “You cannot satisfy people with your wealth, but satisfy them with your cheerful faces and good morals.”

About the Author

Rumki Chowdhury is Editor of World Hijab Day Organization. She is an award-winning published author and poet. She has an MA in English Literature from Queen Mary University of London, a BA in English Writing from William Paterson University of New Jersey and an English Subject Teaching Degree from Gävle Högskolan in Stockholm, Sweden. She speaks Bengali and Swedish fluently! She has years of experience in the media and publishing worlds. Rumki lives with her husband and their three daughters.

Instagram and Facebook @rumkitheauthor

Twitter @rumkichowdhury

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